Entering the 21st Century.

This week is a big one for me.  I'm making the jump to digital DJ'ing.

 I'm tossing aside the CDJ's and the few bits of vinyl I use. It's a bittersweet change, but im excited.

I got my start in DJ'ing during the era of CD's.  At the time, the heated debate was the validity of DJing  with CD's vs Vinyl.   Computer DJing was in its infancy and the offerings were pretty crappy when compared to the powerhouse that was the CDJ.

If you were an 19 year old me in the early 2000's. this is what you lusted for: the magnificent Pioneer CDJ1000 Mk1

I'm a little torn. One of my biggest gripes with  laptop DJ'ing is the amount of attention the DJ puts into the computer screen.  With vinyl or CDJ's most of your time is spent surveying the crowd, picking up on the subtleties and overall taking more from the experience.  With a laptop, it'll feel like i'm surfing reddit rather than soaking in the experience.


Taking this into account, I've decided to customize my digital dj experience in  a way that keeps  mouse scrolling and touchpad use to a minimum.  I will continue to use my beloved Xone:92 and pair it with a controller that suits my needs. Right now I'm eyeing the Traktor x1 and the Xone:k2.

Kontrol x1

Xone:k2

With either of these, i should be able to keep my tactile experience, and eliminate being plastered to my computer screen. 

Although I've been slow to warm up to the change, the pro's of going the computer route are endless.  First of all, I will have my ENTIRE music collection at my disposal.  I will have infinite looping abilities, and four instead of two 'decks' at my disposal!  Secondly, My entire setup will fit in my messenger bag.  I can plug into whatever mixer I want seamlessly.

These next few weeks will be interesting. I have a gig lined up for February 14th,  if all goes well, it will be my first digital DJ gig.  It'll also be the first gig where I feel nervous, in about five years.

Wish me luck!

Next post will be about power and cycling. I have hookups on a powertap!